I’m happy to say that it’s the best film in the “Avengers” canon (so not including Spidey or X-Men, I think Spider-Man 2 and X2 were better, but not by much). This team of superheroes offers a unique challenge in balancing lots of egos- it’s a different dynamic than X-Men who are slowly worked into a team, the Avengers are thrown together quickly and have little time to meld. Joss Whedon and all of the actors do a great job of showcasing the issues that would arise with all of those egos under one roof.

What I was most impressed with is the pairings that Whedon chose to highlight, Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) are natural science nerds, so that one was easy. But showcasing Black Widow’s powers of interrogation versus Loki served as one of the best couplings of the film. And that was just the character stuff, during action sequences, pairs were grouped as you must, but there was always a feeling that the pairings worked and made sense and everyone got good screen time.

The insanity of the action just left a giant smile on my face, to say nothing of the well-timed and quick-witted comedy. Iron Man’s snark plays right into Whedon’s wheelhouse and he has some killer lines, but Thor, Captain America, and well, everyone else had some great zingers and one-liners. I haven’t laughed that much in ANY Marvel movie.

You’ve just got to see it- as dark, gritty, and real as Nolan’s Batman films are is as fun, audacious, and funny as this film is. It’s a great counterpoint to the serious tone of those films and it gives you a great mix of silver age comics and today. Enjoy this, it’s a rare blend of good film that pays service to several characters, bonds emotion, and keeps you rollicking on a 45-minute thrill ride to end the film. And at the end, treat yourself to some shwarma.

It’s always been a battle for me with female vocalists. Not that I don’t like them, but I tended to like soft, beautiful, angelic voices. Well as I’ve grown older, I don’t really care that much for them and pop vocalists’ songs don’t really do it for me at all.

My sister-in-law LOVES female vocalists and she likes similar music to me, so I keep my ear open to any new vocalist who comes along and seems interesting. Well, thanks again to Spotify, I heard the album King Con by Alex Winston. And it has been in super heavy rotation since then.

But her voice isn’t angelic (Sorry Alex!), it’s very cool though. Her songs are fun, poppy, but not traditionally so. Hard to explain I guess, but I love her.

Try out “Velvet Elvis”, “Sister Wife”, and “Fire Ant”. You’ll thank me later.

Watching this puts it immediately at the top of my Must See list for 2012. The look is fairly classic Ridley and I just can’t wait to see what this film has up its sleeve to make it worth his while to revisit his seminal earlier work. And just a quick note about Michael Fassbender. That guy rules.

Prometheus will be released nationwide June 8th of this year. I recommend getting your butt in one of those seats. And while you’re at it. Watch Alien as a primer.

Every week, the music service Spotify is changing my playlists, adding new songs and bands I’ve never heard of and giving me new favorites.

Through my Spotifian musical journeys, I’ve had friends suggest new bands and albums and sometimes I stumble on them myself. But I think it’s about time I start sharing them with everyone, because they are great. So I’ll be posting a new act I’ve found on Spotify pretty much every week to highlight some of the awesome talent that I’ve been exposed to (sounds grosser than it is) as a result of this awesome service.

First up Bears. Thanks to old friend Liz Bureman for this one! I like their sound, one word that always comes to mind when I hear them is that they sound SINCERE. It’s a jangly, inclusive feel. Sometimes a xylophone points to warmth, others it’s the several voices coming together. It’s just a nice album to hear, especially when I’m in a bad mood. The album is called Greater Lakes, and you can hear it here if you’re on Spotify.

Enjoy and check back every Monday for a new band to listen to!

Through my Spotifian musical journeys, I’ve had friends suggest new bands and albums and sometimes I stumble on them myself. But I think it’s about time I start sharing them with everyone, because they are great. So I’ll be posting a new act I’ve found on Spotify pretty much every week to highlight some of the awesome talent that I’ve been exposed to (sounds grosser than it is) as a result of this awesome service.

First up Bears. Thanks to old friend Liz Bureman for this one! I like their sound, one word that always comes to mind when I hear them is that they sound SINCERE. It’s a jangly, inclusive feel. Sometimes a xylophone points to warmth, others it’s the several voices coming together. It’s just a nice album to hear, especially when I’m in a bad mood. The album is called Greater Lakes, and you can hear it here if you’re on Spotify.

Enjoy and check back every Monday for a new band to listen to!

After catching most of the first season of Bob’s Burgers in bits and pieces, I wanted to make a point to catch the second season fully. The show has a great cast of fully realized characters and is borderline painfully funny.

I just finished watching the second season premiere and it totally confirmed my faith.  They just kicked off with a Goonies riff, which was excellent, right down to the closing credits re-imagining of “Goonies R Good Enough” which I’ll just call “Taffy Butt”. They even got Cyndi Lauper to sing it! It’s also a really good episode for you to buy into the series because you get a good idea of the characters, especially the three kids.

This gang of youths gets word of a treasure deep inside the old abandoned taffy factory on the edge of town. The kids receive a treasure map shaped like a butt and three turds. Louise (kinda the ringleader of the trio and voiced by the awesome Kristen Schaal) gets her brother and sister on board by convincing them that the map is real because if they had a chance to make a treasure map, the shape they would choose is of course, a butt. Their very own Goonies gang is rounded out by some of the great fringe characters from the show and hilarity definitely ensues.

Anyways, it’s got some of the funniest writing on TV and the show has a full season order coming our way and it’s a VERY welcome entry into the slot that’s been held by Allen Gregory and Napoleon Dynamite. Both of which are terrible.  Look at the preview for this episode below and check out the next episode on Sunday on Fox:

Thanks Guys! Photo Courtesy Lindsey Byrnes, mlive.com

8 years ago. 5 dudes, 1 girl, 1 beer pong table. 1 album.

Before my senior year of college, a group of my friends and 3 very patient family members came together on a balmy Summer weekend. That weekend is stuck in my mind and The Format’s Intervention and Lullabies played from tip to tail over and over. It was a door into one of one of my favorite musicians, Nate Ruess. For the ensuing 8 years, I would listen to any and everything that came out with his name on it. I loved the Format’s albums unequivocally. I was despondent when they broke up, went on hiatus, whatever it is.

Then my younger sister sent me a link. It was a familiar voice with a new name. fun., that’s the name. And they make great songs that are almost always uplifting sounding, with lyrics that sometimes belie that joy and sometimes revel in it. Their new album, Some Nights, is a bit of a departure from their debut, but is no less infections. Check it out.

But what I really want to talk about is why they are important to me. And they are. Very. Important. Music has this incredible power to bring people together. More so than other forms of media, it’s a common trading chip. Oh you like this band, try this band, you’ll love them. People gather to watch bands KNOWING (usually) that they like a certain act. So I’m telling you what you already know, music brings people together. Just print my Pulitzer prize now. Great. Thanks!

One of the most important relationships I have is with my younger sister. It wasn’t always a close one. She struck me with a hammer, I decapitated her Barbies. I can’t pinpoint to where our relationship became friendly. But I know one of the things we share a deep, deep appreciation for is The Format and fun. We both love their albums very much. I asked her recently to rank the albums of these two bands and we had nearly completely different rankings, but agreed we couldn’t really do it properly because we can’t divorce ourselves from the things we FEEL about them. Subjectivity reigns!

This music has created a strong bond between my sister and I. I’d be lying if I said it was the REASON we became close. But when we discuss fun. or the Format, we both use the same glowing words. Something about this music speaks to us in a way I don’t see it speak to other people.

This also happened when we saw them here in Philadelphia last May. They were part of a big show with Panic at the Disco and Weezer. Super fun times. Pun intended. We probably would’ve been just as happy seeing fun. in tiny room play for an hour or longer. There is something singular about these tunes that hit my sis and I in the best way possible and it’s not something I can say about other friends or relatives. Sorry guys!

So I guess the short version of this post would just be: It brings me closer to someone I care about a ton. What more can you ask for?

Looks amazing. Granted, I am a Spidey diehard, but watch that and tell me you’re not excited. Actually looks even better than I expected and Garfield has such a good knack for the Spidey smart-assery.

CAN’T WAIT.

After a recent viewing of the blockbuster Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, my roommate and I waxed about its virtues, and they were many. It’s a strong, well-crafted, and exciting action flick.  But a few things about it stood out more than others and made me think why Ghost Protocol is more important than any other action movie that came out in 2011. Here’s why:

1. The End and The Beginning- While Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt may never reach the heights of John McClane or Jason Bourne, he has been a viable action property for over 15 years. And the man who plays him has been a leading action man for just as long. However, I began to see signs of wear and tear on the old boy, not to say he’s kaput, but he’s going to be soon. Which was why it was nice to see a semi-transition to Jeremy Renner, who will hopefully be included in future installments (come on, with the $$$ this one’s bringing, it’s inevitable). Call it a passing of the torch if you will, but I think it was a wise move to incorporate a younger actor, especially one with Renner’s chops. And he’s only going to get better and better at action as the new face of the Bourne series.

2. Winter Blockbuster?- I will go ahead and call myself out and say I was NOT encouraged by the fact that Paramount slotted GP for a winter release. Typically movies of this style and magnitude are released in the blockbuster tent pole season, which is why it was so great! I loved seeing a great action flick in cold weather. Here’s hoping the success of this film (along with Avatar previously) allows some further counter-programming to the serious Oscar buzz flicks.

3. Bird Flies High- Frankly this is the most important aspect of the film’s success, it’s director Brad Bird will now be able to make more movies if he wants (and we know he does). We knew he was a great animated director (see The Incredibles, The Iron Giant), but now we can drop “animated” from that title. The man just gets action, no two ways about it, he understands how big set pieces work and his excellence in animation is matched in live action.  I will NEVER forget the feeling of near vertigo during the Burj Khalifa scene of GP. Peerless.

So I think GP was a hell of a movie, but its success could mean bigger things for all involved and we’re already seeing evidence. I’m excited to see what happens for 5.